Sounds like Memory
by FrozenxWonder
Summary: This is just a series of oneshots that may not always be related to one another and may on occasion feature characters from my story Strays. These oneshots are inspired by songs and written purely for fun. Rated for safety. Requests accepted, mostly Stony pairings but I'm open to others if the suggestions are good. Enjoy!
1. Sharp Dressed Man

**Author's Notes**: I don't own any of the music that inspired these oneshots nor do I own the Avengers (I can dream though...). These are purely for entertainment and are something of a writing exercise for me to get inspiration going so enjoy but don't be rude. If you have a song you'd like me to try and use, leave a review with the song, artist and pairing and I'll give it a shot. Reviews = love

P.S. Some oneshots may feature characters from my Strays universe but not all the time. Now, on with the show!

**Sharp Dressed Man by ZZ Top**

Everything in the land of the rich seemed to glitter. Steve had never noticed it when he was young, not like most kids. Most kids wanted to be filthy rich and live in that glittering world where women classy dames and men had everything they ever wanted. Not Steve. Fastforward some seventy-three years however, and you would find him standing in a seething crowd of finely dressed men and women, nursing the same glass of champagne as he'd been presented with upon entry. It was a gala of some sort to benefit the local firefighters and while it was a noble cause, Steve felt so out of place that it wasn't funny.

Somewhere in the crowd Clint and Natasha were mingling like pros, if only because of their intensive training. Without a doubt Tony was schmoozing it up with rich folk he'd probably known all his life. Hell, even Coulson was mingling fairly well, flowing from politician to politician without pause. That right there just wasn't fair. Steve was left feeling big and bulky after the four of them had been separated by interested parties. Tony had taken a separate vehicle and no one had seen him that afternoon but Steve had glimpsed Pepper in the crowd so that meant Tony had to be here, mingling with the masses. All he had done was clumsily shake hands, shoot a few shy smiles and pose for pictures with Congressmen and the New York wealthy. With the night growing older he felt lost in this sea of glittering finery.

Slipping past a cluster of laughing businessmen, Steve started to look for an exit, taking a moment to idly wish Thor and Bruce had had to come along. At least with them around he wouldn't have been the only fish out of water. Unfortunately Director Fury didn't think the world was ready for Thor in a suit and Bruce…well that was playing with fire. In this case, Bruce had been particularly pleased with himself when they'd been ushered out the door by Agent Coulson.

_"Like a bunch of well dressed monkeys," Bruce teased, sipping his tea as Coulson tried to get Clint to stop fussing with his tie._

_Natasha raised an eyebrow and Bruce blushed._

_"Except you of course Natasha," Bruce corrected quickly._

Privately Steve had agreed with the doctor. Clint had looked like he was practically suffocating in a suit and tie, constantly tugging at what he termed as 'a noose in disguise.' Couslon slapped Clint's hands away from the tie so the archer went to twisting his wedding band and grumbling curses. Coulson just sighed and reminded them that it wasn't that bad and they were just being a bunch of babies but he wore suits for a living so his comfort in them didn't count. Natasha had also looked comfortable enough although with the Russian it was hard to tell. She'd chosen a simple black dress for the even with a fine string of gold-set diamonds glittering around her neck and her wedding ring gleaming on her left hand.

Steve had dug out his dress uniform for the occasion and seriously wished Tony was around. He hated dressing up but Tony always made it better. Unfortunately their resident genius had been absent all day and wouldn't be found until the gala itself meaning Steve would probably be left to his own devices for most of the evening, definitely not an arrangement he agreed to. At least with Tony around Steve could shrink into the man's shadow and find shelter while Tony bedazzled the crowd and kept the spotlight off of him. During the two previous events they had attended, both before they started dating and after, this method had worked well. Tonight Steve was without his shield, both literally and figuratively.

Steve shook away the thoughts and had just managed to slip out of the crowd when a hand landed on his shoulder. Turning, Steve's jaw dropped.

The man that had caught him was Tony. No one had seen him since yesterday when Tony and Pepper had whisked out the door to fix a deal gone wrong. He had left with a promise to both Fury and Steve to be back in time for the gala. Now though, Steve got an eyeful of Tony's chosen attire for the evening. Without a doubt Tony Stark was a man that knew how to wear a suit. It was sharply cut from deep black material and it seemed to mold to Stark's figure. There wasn't a wrinkle in sight and the sharp contrast between the black suit jacket and Tony's white shirt had a strange appeal. In the breast pocket, Tony had tucked a scarlet square of fabric and his tie was a matching scarlet. For a man that had spent the day traveling to Boston, attending meetings and then flying back, he looked as fresh and well groomed as any of the well rested individuals around. His goatee was freshly trimmed and his hair fell in perfect order. Even though he was slightly shorter than Steve, Steve felt small under the air of confidence that crackled around Tony like an energy field.

"What's up Cap? Cat got your tongue?" Tony teased, sliding his right arm through the crook of Steve's left, steering the man away from the crowd.

"Uh…"

"So, yeah. Come on Cap, loosen up. I know this isn't your thing but these people love a smile," Tony directed, throwing a charming smile at a passing woman. Steve didn't miss her going scarlet and giggling like a schoolgirl despite being nearly fifty. Tony didn't pass a glance back at her as they moved on.

"I don't know, this just isn't my thing," Steve managed finally, focusing on not tripping over his own feet as he let Tony lead him around like an obedient dog on a leash.

"It's nobody's thing," Tony agreed with distaste. "Still, we have to do it. Now buck up soldier, give us a smile, come on, you've been grimacing all night. You'll ruin your pretty face if it gets stuck like that!"

Steve looked down at the shorter man, unconsciously frowning, making Tony laugh. "How would you know?" Steve asked, "I haven't seen you until now." Tony reached up and patted Steve's cheek.

"I'm a ninja, what can I say? Now come on, turn that upside down Cap, it's not that hard." To demonstrate, Tony smiled that devilish smile that made Steve's knees turn to water. In fact, it brought all thought processes to a grinding halt. After a moment, Tony rolled his eyes. "Honestly, you act like Clint's trying to use you for target practice."

Surging up, Tony kissed Steve before the blonde realized what happened. His mind totally shut down as he kissed back, snaking his arms around the sharply dressed billionaire. When Tony backed off, Steve didn't even have to think about it, he started grinning like a fool. That brought a laugh bubbling up from Tony.

"That did it!" he crowed joyously, tossing his head back and laughing again. This time Steve joined him once he got over the surprise, feeling some of the evening's tension seep out of his shoulders.

Steve tugged the billionaire closer, bending his head so he was near Tony's ear. "Well, I've always had a thing for sharp dressed men," Steve murmured.

Another laugh vibrated through Tony's chest. A small trail of kisses dotted his neck before Tony murmured back, "I've always loved a man in uniform."

Steve laughed and stepped back, letting Tony hook his arm in his elbow again, this time taking the lead as the pair made their way through the crowded gala.


	2. You Can't Hurry Love

**You Can't Hurry Love by Phil Collins**

Steve sighed as he dropped into a chair at the kitchen table. At the sink, Sarah Rogers paused in her dishwashing, turning to regard her son curiously. No more than twelve, Steve was small for his age and as thin as a twig. Her lips tugged in a small smile at his hunched posture and the way he was staring forlornly at the nicked wood of the table. Putting aside the dish she'd been cleaning, she shucked off her gloves and walked over to him.

"What's the matter honey?" she asked, sitting in the chair across from him.

"Nothing," Steve mumbled.

"Oh now I know better than that," Sarah chided gently. "Did something happen at school?"

"No."

Sarah raised an eyebrow. "You know I don't believe that Steve now come on, tell me what's the matter. I won't have you being a Grumpy Gus all evening."

For a little while, Steve said nothing before finally sighing. "Fine. Rebecca shot me down when I asked if she wanted to be partners for projects in English."

Reaching across the table, Sarah took her son's hands in hers. "Is this the girl you told me about?"

The blonde boy nodded.

"Well, I know you want to catch her eye but you can't rush it. If you really love someone, you'll be patient," Sarah advised, rubbing her thumbs soothingly over the backs of Steve's hands, catching his eye and offering a small smile. "You can't hurry love. Love doesn't come easy but it's out there looking for you too."

All throughout his life, Steve took that advice to heart. His mother had never lied to him and he took her word on matters of the heart. Even after pneumonia took Sarah Rogers, her son clung on to that one last bit of advice. He tried to catch the eye of girls in high school but it never worked until at last he enlisted and became Captain America. Then, with women clamoring for his attention and having caught the eye of Peggy Carter, he still felt off. In those years, Sarah's advice came to mind again. He had the 'love' for anyone he wanted but for some reason it didn't feel right. It felt something like how he imagined a cat would feel if someone rubbed its fur the wrong way. Even around Peggy, he felt out of his league, like he was shooting in the dark. Steve imagined though, imagined someday he'd get it right and it would just click with Peggy and he would marry her and they'd live to be old and gray with ten kids and tons of grandkids to spoil.

Fate had other plans.

Coming out of the ice had been…traumatic. It hadn't helped that one of the first people he was introduced to was the son of Howard Stark, Tony Stark. That had been a match made in hell if ever there was one. They were both strong-willed individuals and they clashed whenever they got too close. For a long time Steve thought they were just like two north ends of a magnet, forever polarizing away from one another. That thought was only reinforced by the Avengers initiative and Steve clung to it until Fury ordered Tony to provide living space for the team which ended up being Stark Tower.

The day they were moving in, Steve watched Tony helping Clint move boxes.

"Why are you doing this? You didn't even fight Fury when he told you to let us move in and now you're actually helping?" Steve demanded suddenly, surprising Tony and himself.

Tony paused, box in hand and stared at Steve for a moment before shrugging. "A little give and take never hurts Cap. You all gave a lot to stop Loki, I have a little more room than I need so why not give it to people that need it?" With that, Tony hefted the box for a better hold and strode off into another room, leaving Steve to stare after him.

After that spontaneous but short conversation, the dynamic between Captain America and Iron Man changed. They cooperated better on the battlefield and on the home front discovered something resembling balance. Where Steve was stiff, Tony was relaxed. When Steve felt out of place, Tony roped him in despite his protests. When Tony stayed up all night in the lab and fell asleep at the bench, Steve would gather him up and put him to bed with orders for no one to wake him. Through it all, there became a push and pull to their relationship. Steve gave and Tony took when it came to companionship and a comrade in battle. Tony gave and Steve took when it came to learning about this new time of his. It was strange but it worked.

Compromise became almost second nature between the two, barring a few rowdy fights when they fell back into their stubborn ways. When that happened the team would roll their eyes and concoct silly scenarios to get the pair to 'kiss and make up'. Only recently had the phrase become reality as Steve fell hard for the man with the iron heart and the man with the iron heart slowly let glow brighter. Steve gradually became part of the times and Tony let the sarcastic mask slip to show more of his affectionate side.

Go forward a year and Steve found himself sitting in the lounge watching Tony chase Clint around the tower, a small smile on his face. He didn't know what Clint had snatched this time but Tony was determined to get it back. Natasha and Bruce were laughing off to the side and Thor was offering aid to Clint before Tony could skin him alive. The whole scene had become the new normal for Steve since discovering life in the Avengers Tower and he loved every second of it.

_"You can't hurry love."_

Sarah's words floated through Steve's mind making him smile a bit more as he watched Tony vault over the sofa and tackle Clint to the ground, beginning an impromptu wrestling match on the floor. Lifting his feet out of the way as the pair rolled toward him, Steve laughed.

Can't hurry love indeed. He'd waited over seventy years to find it and he wouldn't miss a second.

Launching himself off the couch, Steve joined the fray. Distantly he heard a thundering laugh from Thor as the god rushed to join in the fun.

It was crazy and totally unexpected but it was perfect. It was love, in more ways than one.


End file.
